


Eating Habits

by kitty_pryde_bi_pride



Series: spider tendencies [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers Family, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff and Crack, Gen, Peter Parker is a Mess, Sam Wilson is a Saint, Spider Shenanigans, spider facts!, superheroes are idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:33:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25767493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitty_pryde_bi_pride/pseuds/kitty_pryde_bi_pride
Summary: Some spiders eat their own webs.Some spiders cannibalize each other.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Sam Wilson
Series: spider tendencies [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859734
Comments: 13
Kudos: 588





	Eating Habits

**Author's Note:**

> sam wilson is such a cool avenger and i don't think there's enough fics of him interacting with peter so here goes!
> 
> and part of this chapter kind of takes one of the spider facts from hunting habits with how spiders have to liquidize their food
> 
> anyways, enjoy and feel free to leave kudos/comments if you enjoy this! plz drop some spider facts below if you want me to write about them

Being one of the few non-powered humans in a house full of superheroes – super-serum soldiers, centuries old Norse gods, even the other humans were billionaires possessing insane technology that allowed them to become something more – could be more than a little daunting, but Sam Wilson liked to think he had things under control.

As much as was possible, at least- even the most level-headed heroes would’ve had to take a double take when Vision (AI tech turned android, possessor of infinite power, newborn?) and Wanda (teenager with psychic reality bending powers, former enemy, science experiment) started dating.

And besides, Sam could fly, independently of a super-suit or assistance from others. When he was in the air, he was strong, fast, and _free_ , easily outpacing his peers.

Just because he was surrounded by absurdly powerful individuals didn’t undermine the fact that Sam was essentially at the peak of human excellence, a necessity to even keep pace with those around him.

He’d like to think he’s gotten used to crazy stuff happening around the tower – the other week Thor took some of Natasha’s favorite cereal and he came home to the super-spy having pinned down and disarmed an actual god, calmly eating a new bowl of Cheerios on top of his back – so when he sees Tony’s newest recruit – a scrawny little teenager with spider powers – in the kitchen making something, he resolves to come in to fix his own lunch quietly.

“How’s it going, Peter,” Sam offers nonchalantly, reaching around him to grab a bowl out of a higher cabinet.

The kid responds by yelping and smashing his meal – something pinkish and kind of chunky – into the counter, accidentally breaking the glass blender along with it. It was still plugged in and therefore managed to spray the concoction all around the kitchen, including on Peter and himself.

Sam closes his eyes and grabs a towel, wiping the worst of it off his head and face before it can drip into his eyes, then turns to Peter and smiles tightly. “…Alright, sorry I asked.”

“Oh my goodness, Mr. Falcon, I am so very sorry about all this – you don’t have to apologize at all, but thank you – and I’ll get all this cleaned up right away, I promise, don’t even worry about it, you won’t be able to tell it happened at all—”

Sam bursts out laughing at the poor kid. Peter responds by shutting up and looking kind of offended by the response. He reaches out and pats Peter’s shoulder placatingly, getting a big handful of whatever he’d been making at the same time.

“It’s fine, kid, seriously,” he says. He looks down at the mysterious mixture, still on his hand, and sniffs experimentally. It smells…not at all like what he had pictured, so off from the basic strawberry and fruity scent he had imagined from the color that he can’t place it at all. “Do you have enough to make a back-up lunch? What were you making, even?”

He licks it off his finger – he thinks he’s had so many of Steve’s experimental protein shakes, chock full of calories and vitamins necessary to keep a super-soldier healthy at the expense of any pretense of flavor, that there’s no way this could phase him – and immediately proves himself wrong when he has to spit it out in the sink.

Once he’s done retching, trying to ensure he got it all out of his mouth, Peter stands by apologetically with a fresh glass of water. “Holy shi—” Tony will kill him if he curses in front of the kid. “—crap, what was even in that?” He asks accusingly.

He puts up with a lot in this tower – Clint hiding in the vents and popping out when he least expects it, having to tread carefully around Bruce’s temper, the super-charged metabolisms that eat up everything good in the kitchen most days – but that tasted like raw meat and blood, and he does not have to put up with this.

Peter looks down, looking flustered and embarrassed, and mutters something half-heartedly that Sam can’t quite make out. “Speak up, kid, I just puked out half my soul because of whatever was in that.”

“It’s, uh, well-” He starts nervously, wringing his hands, and Sam raises his eyebrows impatiently. He takes a deep breath, straightens his back, and speak loudly and confidently- it’s clearly not his first time having to explain this. “It’s raw steak mixed with some fruit and vegetables, and my own webbing.”

“I just drank raw meat?” Sam questions incredulously. Never – and he means _never_ – has he been forced to put up with something like this during all his time in the military. He’s a trained PTSD counselor, has worked extensively on technology and with high-profile individuals alike; he has back-up plans to being an Avenger.

_They_ were the ones to recruit _him_ , and he expects a raise after this.

“Technically, you didn’t swallow it?” Peter offers tentatively.

Sam gasps, affronted, and Peter cringes back down. “If we’re using the word technically in a conversation about raw meat, I think there’s a problem. And hey- isn’t your webbing lab-made? Why on earth do you need to eat that crap?”

The kid smiles weakly and rolls up his sleeves to his elbow, revealing two matching holes on each wrist. “They’re called spinnerets! I make a lot of my webbing in lab, since I have a finite supply that I can make biologically, but it’s actually pretty nutritious for me to eat the stuff I secrete.”

“Okay,” Sam takes a deep breath. He’s been a part of the Avengers for too many years to jump ship now, he can roll with this. “Okay. How literal is the name Spider-Man?”

Now the kid’s smile is blinding. “I got biologically altered with a spider bite, not really sure what the exact percentages are, but it’s fairly literal. Except for the man part- I’m only sixteen still!”

“If you’re eating raw meat because you’re part spider-” Sam hopes to God that it’s the spider part of the kid that was craving bloody steak, not the human. “-then why do you eat normal food during movie nights?”

“I try to mix my diet, actually!” Peter’s becoming more animated now that he has the chance to talk about science and Sam can kind of get why everyone on the team who’s spent time with him is so ride-or-die for the kid. “I’m able to digest both, and I try to eat mostly human food to satisfy the caloric needs of my metabolism, but I need the nutrients from things spiders eat. I blend it up because the alternative is hunting and liquidizing it on the fly, and that’s pretty disgusting. I tried it once and freaked out Bruce pretty badly, I think.”

Sam thinks he would’ve had a heart attack on the spot if he caught this kid mid-hunt, covered in blood and liquidizing an animal. It’s kind of shocking there wasn’t a Hulk incident because of it.

He glances back at the wreckage of the smoothie and broken blender, then frowns at the kid. “Is there any more raw meat?”

Peter glances inside the fridge, then shakes his head. “Looks like we’re out. …Why, did you want some?”

It’s always nice to be reminded that although he runs with some exceptionally powerful and genius-level intellect people, most of them are dumbasses too.

“Uh, no thanks,” he mutters, leaning against the counter- still covered in goop. Peter looks relieved and he sighs- is it possible for this kid to be too genuine? “I was just wondering what you’ll eat instead. For the spider diet, I mean. Looks like the blender’s out of commission and we’re out of food. Do you need me to pick something up for you?”

Peter lights up again and laughs lightly. “That’s so nice of you, Mr. Falcon! But no, I’m alright- Mr. Stark and I have some other spider meals stocked, because he seems to think I’m kind of clumsy and wants me to always have back-up plans. Such an overreaction, in my opinion.”

Sam raises his eyebrows once more and crosses his arms, watching Peter wash his hands and start rummaging through the pantry. “Well, kid, you did just smash the blender because I said hello-”

The kid, apparently having found whatever back-up meal he was searching for, steps out holding an opaque Tupperware labeled ‘Spider-Kid’s Eyes Only, Don’t Touch- That Means You, Clint!’. “I didn’t hear you approach; the blender was too loud!” He protests loudly.

Peter opens the container and pulls out a plate, dumping a small handful of whatever small crunchy things are in there and—

“Oh my god, are you eating spiders?!” Sam shouts, slightly horrified.

Peter pauses and looks up, slightly confused. “Yes?”

“But, but—” How is this Sam’s life? “But you’re half spider! That’d be like me eating a falcon!”

“Uh, no,” he mutters, going back to arranging his meal. “You’re not part falcon- right?” Sam shakes his head and the kid continues. “Spiders eat other spiders all the time. Cannibalism exists all the time in nature.”

Sam will _not_ be brushed off as if this is a perfectly normal occurrence and he’s the weird one. “But humans don’t—”

Peter smiles and it’s a little terrifying this time. Sam suddenly remembers that Natasha had recently taken the spider-kid under her wing. “Don’t worry about it, Mr. Falcon,” he says sunnily, brushing past the cannibalism questions. He pops another spider into his mouth and Sam shudders as he hears it crunch. “Want to help me clean up the kitchen before anyone else sees?”

Sam is just about as strong and intelligent as a non-enhanced human can be, but that involves knowing when to back down and take the loss. Some parts of living with superhumans are unideal, but a slightly creepy and oblivious spider child is at the bottom of that list.

He plasters on a grin, matching Peter’s own, and picks up a towel. “Let’s start on the counter.”


End file.
